Until recently the contest to succeed Jose Maria Olazabal, who skippered the Miracle in Medinah victory over the United States in September had been seen as a straight contest between McGinley and fellow Irishman Darren Clarke.

But all that changed when the Americans, still shellshocked from the final day collapse in Chicago, brought back golfing legend Tom Watson, nearly twenty years after he was captain for the first time.

The choice of Watson for Gleneagles 2014 took many by surprise, but it was largely applauded as a masterstroke given his stature in the game, especially in Scotland where he is adored for his British Open wins.

That decision opened a debate over whether, given the popularity of Watson, it would be worthwhile to widen the European captaincy field with the name of 2010 European captain Montgomerie coming strongly into the picture especially as he would be on home turf.

McIlroy's tweet, however, will act as a potent buffer to the Montgomerie momentum as he is the top ranking golfer in the world and the biggest name in the sport alongside Tiger Woods.

Compounding the situation is that McIlroy, from a Catholic family in Northern Ireland, is currently stuck in a quagmire over who he should represent should he qualify to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics when golf returns to the games.

He has the choice, as an Ulsterman, of playing for Britain or Ireland, and faces strong opposition no matter which way he leans -- if he decides to take part at all.

McIlroy was part of the European team that regained the Ryder Cup from the United States under the captaincy of Montgomerie at Celtic Manor, Wales in 2010 and was part of the team that retained the cup under Olazabal in Chicago in September.

His Twitter comments are a clear endorsement of McGinley as Europe's Ryder Cup captain and would make relations between himself and Montgomerie difficult at the very least should the Scot get the nod in Abu Dhabi.

AFP

This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.